Al Sadiq Islamic English School is a K-12 private school for girls and boys located in Al Qusais (or al Ghusais) in Dubai. The school has 1964 students (up marginally over last year, but still a substantial reduction of around 400 students from 2011/12), and employs about 126 teachers (up about 10% on the year) with the majority suitably qualified. This is a change from the school’s 2011/12 KHDA report when only a quarter of teachers were said to be certified.

The largest demographic at the school is of Pakistani origin who account for approximately 50% of the student body. Over half the school population are in the primary phase, a third in the secondary phase and just over ten per cent are in the Foundation Stage.

The school offers the UK’s IGCSE/GCE examinations with modifications to extend the learning of the Holy Qur’an. Primary students do not take UK attainment tests so comparative attainment levels is not possible.

Education at the school is provided “in a positive and supportive environment,” but is rated Acceptable overall. This is a rating the school has held since inspections began – which means the 2013/14 report is the sixth Acceptable rating for the school. The threshold for schools in Dubai is a Good rating, so the school is, at some levels, still under performing.

The main strength and USP of the school is its ability to provide a UK based education with Islamic principles. That said, the school has suffered a shortage of Arabic and Islamic Education teachers over the last 12 months, meaning many classes have been taught in mixed-age groups. Staff turnover has over the last year has also been an issue for the school.

Strengths of the school include good attainment in English in the secondary phase and good progress in English in the Kindergarten and secondary phase; as well as good provision for the promotion of healthy living. In earlier reports, student attitudes and behaviour at the school have been highlighted and described as consistently good.

Quality of teaching remains a key concern. Dubai’s education regulator has also noted learning resources are limited, especially for mathematics, science and the development of information and communication technology (ICT) skills across the curriculum. The school needs to improve self evaluation, and to improve on the curriculum, so it is more flexible for all student abilities.

Feedback from parents is broadly positive in terms of progress made at school, with the exception of Arabic as a first language where a significant minority disagreed. One complaint is that there are not enough subjects and activities from which to choose. In earlier feedback, a significant number of parents reported that their children do not have sufficient access to computers to support and extend their learning. The majority of parents feel included however. Parents are also slightly more satisfied than students.

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The school has a Web site, but it is limited in the information it provides to prospective parents. It does not detail the school’s curriculum in a way that is usable – PDF scans are not practical, or the school’s facilities (which are limited). The school does not publish its academic performance in terms of GCSEs passed, a practice WSA strongly encourages.

School fees range from between 3800 to 7700 AED per year depending upon age range. Even should the school fees have been increased at a maximum the KHDA allows, it would still be one of the most affordable UK curriculum based schools in the UAE – albeit one with a limited range of subjects to study.